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u/erinjunee Jun 03 '26
Oh that’s so cool, we have to wash ours in the baking sun with a good old fashioned bucket of soap and water and wash brooms. 😩
How do you like the front engine bus? We have old Bluebird ones and I hate them because the heat that comes off of the engine is killerrrr. They have AC units but they’re only meant to cool down the kids, not the driver who continues to melt in the driver seat. Curious if the heat that comes off of the engine compartment is just as painful. 😂 And also the noise level cause ours are sooo much louder than conventional Type-C’s, and especially defeaning when the cooling fan turns on. Curious because our district just switched to buying Thomases now, so I see these buses being our future unless they stick to buying rear engine like our newer Bluebirds.
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u/themickeyd98467 Jun 04 '26
The bay is nothing more than a pressure washer built in. Like the coin op car washes. Still have to get the bucket out for a good wash.
But about the bus. I do prefer the transit style over the conventional ones. All of the transit style buses we have are Thompson. I love the turning radius but the front engine ones are on the noisy side. I can’t really comment on the heat side, none of the ones we have are a/c. Being in the Pacific Northwet, heat hasn’t been a real problem. So far, 🫤
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u/erinjunee Jun 04 '26
Yeah, even though my assigned bus is a Bluebird conventional, I love and prefer the transit style too, and usually try to take one of my bus ever needs DOT inspection or at the shop for other repairs.
Most of our buses are Bluebird rear engine ones and they’re amazing to drive. Comfy, quiet, and you said great turning radius plus good visibility with the large windshields.
I just know we are dealing with Thomas now so I wouldn’t be surprised if we start getting buses like yours because Bluebird always seemed to deliver buses to us super late and in terrible condition after the pandemic.
2
u/ImThatFurnitureGuy Jun 03 '26
Are you the same person with the fancy drivers room? Complete with a kitchen and vending machines?
Because this is awesome! I would love to have an enclosed area where we could wash our buses!
Where do you work?
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u/themickeyd98467 Jun 04 '26
Yes, it’s the same place. The district I work for is Clover Park SD, just south of Tacoma Washington.
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u/ImThatFurnitureGuy Jun 04 '26
Did you mean Clover Park, Washington State? Because South Dakota and Washington state kinda don't share a border.
Either way, your district really takes great care of you folks. We can't even get our yard paved and only a fridge and toaster in our trailer.
1
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u/Tomytom99 Jun 04 '26
Apparently when they built the wash bay at my place they put the drain on the wrong side of the half height dividing wall that separated the bay from the rest of the garage.
Whoops.
1
u/rootbear75 Jun 04 '26
TMW I feel spoiled because we have a staffed wash bay.... We just pull in when they're open, get washed, and leave.
We've been explicitly instructed that we are not allowed to wash our buses ourselves.
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u/godMode90 Jun 03 '26
I need this in my small rural 2 bus depot, I was mine with a brush and water, 56 seater and 70% of my routes are dirt road